GARDENING QUESTIONS
Water, fertilizer can help hydrangeas
Question: I have tried everything and my hydrangeas won’t bloom. I used Miracid, don’t cut dead wood, moved to a new location — you name it, I tried it. Any suggestions?
Answer: I assume you have an Endless Summer or another one of the repeat-blooming hydrangeas. These are supposed to bloom on old and new growth. The plant usually dies back to the ground over winter and sends up new growth each spring.
Make sure the plant received sufficient, not excessive, water spring through fall. Fertilize the plant with Milorganite in the spring. Research found when the microorganisms work on releasing the nutrients from the Milorganite pellets, they also make some of the phosphorus and potassium bound to our soil available to the plants. This along with the non-leaching phosphorus and 85% organic matter has helped many gardeners get their hydrangeas to flower.
Q: I left for five days and when I returned I had many dead spots in my lawn. Some were about 6 inches across, but there were some that were 2 feet long. No fertilizer or other chemicals were applied. Is this a disease problem?
A: Since you eliminated fertilizer, chemical and other environmental causes, the dead spots may be caused by a disease.
Take a closer look at the brown spots and the adjacent grass. If the grass in the brown spots appears bleached or light tan, dollar spot may be the culprit. Infected grass blades have white lesions with reddish-tan margins that often resemble an hourglass. Over- and under-fertilization, drought, water on the grass blades for an extended period and mowing too low can all increase the risk of this disease.
If this does not describe the problem, see the University of Wisconsin Extension Lawn Disease Quick Reference Guide at hort.uwex.edu (search “lawn disease quick reference”) to help with diagnosis.
No matter the disease, proper care and reseeding dead areas with disease-resistant grass varieties is usually enough to manage them.
Speed recovery with a change in mowing habits. Continue to mow high, but cut the healthy portions of your lawn first. Then cut the grass in the diseased areas.
Once done, use a disinfectant to clean the mower blades and then rinse with clear water. This, along with collecting and disposing of clippings from the diseased areas of the lawn, will reduce the risk of spreading the disease next time you mow. Email questions to Melinda Myers through melindamyers.com or write her at P.O. Box 798, Mukwonago, WI 53149. http://melindamyers.com/